UNLAWFUL Synonyms: 181 Similar and Opposite Words

unlawful

adjective

ˌən-ˈlȯ-fəl

Definition of unlawful

as in illegal

contrary to or forbidden by law it is unlawful to set off fireworks within the city limits

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in immoral

not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable a sympathetic look at the unlawful love between a married physician and an adoring colleague

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unlawful The lawsuit seeks, among other remedies, reinstatement to the FBI, an awarding of back pay and a court order declaring that the firings were unlawful. — Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 The High Court ruled in February that classing Palestine Action as a terror group alongside the likes of al-Qaida and Hamas was disproportionate and unlawful. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 State officials contend the walkout is unlawful because the union failed to exempt employees deemed essential to public safety and is not properly engaging in mediations due to the call for a one-day strike. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Vega said during the 2025 municipal elections there were multiple reports of incidents in the Waukegan and Round Lake areas offering incentives which were unlawful. — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unlawful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlawful

Adjective

From December 2024 to May 2025, the international law enforcement body Interpol conducted Operation Pangea XVII, in which authorities in 90 countries seized more than 50 million doses of illicit pharmaceuticals.

— Andrew Yockey, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
Participants were also asked about their alcohol consumption, smoking and illicit drug use.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of illicit

Adjective

And in a world increasingly populated by people who are absolutely certain that everyone who disagrees with them is either ignorant or immoral, our universities could use considerably more of all three.

— Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
Central to the exhibition is the tension between the honorable and the immoral, the appealing and the revolting.

— News Desk, Artforum, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of immoral

Adjective

Homeland Security Investigations agents also interviewed Adawag last week, according to the criminal complaint filed against her.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Martin Zummach, an attorney who represents the officer who fired the shot that killed Kohen, says the attorney general's findings cleared his client of criminal wrongdoing.

— SOPHIE BATES, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminal

Adjective

What Baldwin is lamenting is our tendency to fall back on binaries — right and wrong, good and evil — rather than to struggle with complexity.

— David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
It's based on a Russian fairy tale called the Firebird, which is about a young prince who rescues a coterie of princesses from an evil sorcerer.

— Libby Smith, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of evil

Adjective

Judaism teaches that human beings are not inherently sinful, destructive or a detriment to the world.

— Meir Moscowitz, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
My prescribed low-carb, caffeine-free diet sounded horrifying on paper, but my sinful pleasures were replaced with a tasty, high-quality, and healthy alternative that left me more energized.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026

Definition of sinful

Adjective

So too, the possibility of Rollerball-style carnage carnivals where robots compete in vicious cage matches until only one android is still moving.

— Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Cash reserves totaling $ 7,450,869 are being used to eviscerate his opponent with a vicious barrage of ad hominem assaults, thus giving him a 61 to 1 spending edge.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Prosecutors reveal Ha used anonymous social media accounts to send dozens of vile antisemitic threats, leaking the victim’s home address and forcing their family to flee.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
New additions include singer Tank, who plays vile music exec Eric Cropper and Jax’s main client, Beauty in Black star Taylor Polidore Williams as Eric’s wife Brooke, La La Anthony as Eric’s first wife Melina, and then Megan Good as Regina Harris.

— Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of vile

Adjective

Bajaria may also have hit thin ice with Sarandos after the streamer won just 16 Primetime Emmy Awards this year — its worst showing since 2016 and down from 30 in 2025.

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
The size of the boat, the distance from the tow boat's berth and how bad the boat is stuck will all factor into the final invoice.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of bad

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unlatching

unlawful

unlawfulness

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“Unlawful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlawful. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unlawful

adjective

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